October 2025 Student Newsletter

Dear CCAS Graduate Students,

We hope you have a relaxing Fall Break!

Click the button below to check out the full Student Newsletter - this month's edition will include some upcoming student events, reminders to prepare for Spring 2026 registration, the Fall 2025 Career Readiness Workshop series, and more!

Monday, October 27 - Friday, October 31 | 9:00am - 5:00pm | Smith Hall, Ste 118

Stop by the CCAS Office of Graduate Studies in Smith Hall 118 during this spooky season, October 27 - October 31st from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, for treats (no tricks)! Registration is not required - just drop by!

Wednesday, October 15, 2025 from 5:15 - 6:15pm | University Student Center, Amphitheater

"Boosting Trust in Health Science" is the first in a series of science conversations moderated by CCAS Dean Paul Wahlbeck. In this session, panelists will explore issues relating to scientific integrity, ethics and the role of science in medical applications and advances. 

This event is open to the GW community, but registration is required. Light refreshments will be served following the event. 

Thursday, October 16 from 10:00am - noon | 801 21st St (USC), Fifth Floor East

Join the Multicultural Student Services Center (MSSC) to meet staff and connect with other students in a welcoming, “home away from home” environment. Coffee & refreshments will be provided.

October 20 - 30 | Various Event Times | Virtual

The 2025 Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (CCAS) Graduate Programs Virtual Open House is the perfect opportunity to explore what it means to be a GW graduate student and dive into 90+ cutting-edge degree and certificate programs within CCAS. Attendees can connect directly with current GW graduate students, engage with world-class faculty, and get personalized guidance from our admissions team. There will be a variety of information sessions and featured workshops held - check out the Open House page for the full schedule and registration links!

There will be no classes held October 9-10 in observance of Fall Break!

As we head into midterms season, here are some Gelman Library resources to help you study in peace, get ahead on a project, and set yourself up for a successful semester!

The Graduate Student Study Room is a quiet study space on the fifth floor of Gelman Library, accessible via a tap of your GWorld card. The Global Resources Center on Gelman's seventh floor is open exclusively to graduate students outside of its staffed hours, also via your GWorld card. 

In addition, students may reserve group study rooms and closed study carrels. If you really need to focus, consider reserving a closed study carrel on the 4th or 5th floors - closed study carrels are available for reservation by graduate students only, so you will not have to compete with undergraduate students to claim your spot.

Books aren’t the only thing you can check out from the library! As a GW student, you can borrow audiovisual equipment, including cameras, mics, tripods and lights, and more by submitting an equipment request. Students may keep borrowed equipment for up to one week at a time, and there is no fee.

Within Gelman Library’s CREATE Digital Studio, you can also use high-powered, multimedia editing computer workstations (both Mac and Windows), which are equipped with the full Adobe Creative Cloud suite of applications. If your editing or coding project is pushing your personal computer to its limits, consider stopping by the CREATE Digital Studio on the first floor of Gelman.

Giving a poster presentation? Need to print a custom part? You can also request large-format and 3D printing through Gelman.

Welcome back! Career counselors Erin Ahart and Dr. Ruffner-Ceaser are available to meet with you throughout the year. Schedule an appointment on Handshake! Visit our website or email CCAS_careers@gwu.edu for more information.

The Career Readiness Workshop Series is our signature workshop series where career counselors cover essential career topics for CCAS graduate students and alumni. This semester, Erin Ahart and Dr. Ruffner-Ceaser will address the current job market and skills our graduate students need to thrive in an AI-driven world. Visit our Events page to register today!

We are excited to share our new CCAS Career Services YouTube channel! You can now search for and watch our Career Readiness Workshop recordings directly on YouTube. Check your email for featured videos, podcast episodes, and upcoming workshops. Past workshop topics include resumes, cover letters, interviews, networking, and more.

If you will be completing your thesis or dissertation in Fall 2025, please continue to be mindful of ETD clearance deadlines for both Ph.D. students and for Master’s students completing a thesis. Ph.D. students should visit our Ph.D. Clearance Deadlines page, and Master’s students completing a thesis should review our Master’s Thesis ETD Submission page.

Check out the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs website for guidelines on CCAS formatting requirements, GW formatting requirements, and MS Word & LaTeX resources!

If you are a Ph.D. student planning to defend your dissertation in Fall 2025 or Spring 2026, we encourage you to mark your calendars for the following ETD workshops. These workshops will be held virtually via Zoom - if you would like to attend, please be sure to register by following the links from our Events page.

Check out our full October newsletter for descriptions of each opportunity.

Please feel free to reach out to us at ccasgradserv@gwu.edu if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

The Student Services Team
Office of Graduate Studies
Columbian College of Arts and Sciences